pwr_january-2024 - 18

FOCUS ON O&M
pump. By taking on the combined project,
Sulzer was able to offer cost savings
as well as just one point of contact for
the repairs. "
Following the first drivetrain overhaul,
the customer expressed complete satisfaction
in the way the project was delivered.
Sulzer has since been contracted
to complete two more similar projects
(Figure 4). Together with the company's
proven track record of delivering rotating
equipment revamp projects, the fact that
Sulzer's bid just for the turbine overhaul
was 25% less than the OEM, made this
an easy decision for the operator.
3. Sulzer has a longstanding relationship with the French power plant, being involved with the
pumps at the facility for many years. Courtesy: Sulzer
Optimizing Turbine Repair
Resources
Steam turbines are used in many applications
on various scales to drive
equipment such as pumps, compressors,
and generators. Routine maintenance,
as laid out by the original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) is essential
for the continued reliability of
machinery. In the case of steam turbines,
major overhauls are required every
five to eight years and the process
needs to be carried out by a skilled
team of engineers. Very often, the
rest of the drivetrain is included in the
project, which can see each piece of
equipment serviced by maintenance
technicians from different companies
working in the same location.
Holistically Engineering the
Complete Powertrain
For one power generation site in France,
a recent major overhaul of a steam turbine
was made far less complicated,
and more cost-effective, by sourcing
the necessary expertise from a single
supplier. Sulzer was awarded the contract
to refurbish the steam turbine, the
gearbox, and the pump it was driving.
The whole project needed to be completed
within the six-week window of a
planned outage.
Sulzer has a longstanding relationship
with the power plant, being involved
with the pumps at the facility for many
years (Figure 3). Ahead of the scheduled
outage, the site's maintenance manager
asked if the pump maintenance could be
combined with the project to overhaul
the steam turbine. This proposal had the
18
4. Sulzer was awarded the contract to refurbish
the steam turbine, the gearbox, and
the pump it was driving, all to be completed
within a six-week outage window. Courtesy:
Sulzer
www.powermag.com
potential to reduce the number of operatives
working in the area and simplify
project management.
Three into One Project
Management
As an independent specialist in rotating
equipment, Sulzer agreed to deliver the
project, starting with the 10-MW steam
turbine. Maxime Gheux, Buchelay Service
Center Manager at Sulzer, explained,
" We offered a number of benefits to the
customer, not least a simplification of
project management. In the past, a similar
outage would have seen three separate
companies involved in the project,
one each for the turbine, gearbox, and
Bespoke Tools That Defy
Maintenance Challenges
As part of the continuing partnership
with the power plant, Sulzer has been
creating special tools to simplify and
speed up various tasks. One example
is the tool to check the shaft clearance,
which has been developed since the
first project, and will be used along
with equipment for vertically stacking
the diaphragms, saving space in this
congested area.
Maxime continued, " The customer is
keen for us to develop more tools, especially
to support the non-destructive testing
(NDT) of the diaphragms and improve
the handling of these components. We
have considerable expertise in our global
network of service centers and that can
be used to benefit all of our customers. "
An Independent Service to OEM
Standards
Thanks to the projects completed so
far for the power plant, as well as ongoing
work, Sulzer should soon receive
the same qualification as an OEM. This
means Sulzer would be able to complete
repairs using its own facilities, documents,
and expertise.
Maxime concluded, " Our knowledge
of rotating equipment and our engineering
expertise means that we can effectively
deliver these combined projects.
The field service teams work closely
with our engineering departments to
ensure all the necessary planning is in
place to deliver a successful overhaul.
Our combined skill offers power plant
operators the opportunity to simplify outage
management and make the project
more cost-effective. " ■
-This article was contributed to POWER by
Sulzer, a global leader in fluid engineering,
specializing in pumping, agitation, mixing,
separation, and application technologies
for fluids of all types.
POWER | January 2024

http://www.powermag.com

pwr_january-2024

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